Facial recognition technology has, at the time of filing of this application, mainly been used in the United States by various national security agencies and police forces. While there has been some use of facial recognition technology in the private sector, these have been fairly limited. However, facial recognition technology has recently been incorporated in private security systems, such as those used for gambling casinos, and as a component in other software systems such as FACEBOOK, just to name a few of those applications. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on one's perspective, technology prognosticators have predicted an explosion in commercial products employing facial recognition technology in the fairly near future.
Facial recognition technology generally requires three functional components: a) an image of a face, which is taken from a digital camera or a video frame taken from a video camera, or any other image taken by a suitable camera and which can be digitized; b) facial recognition software to analyze the acquired image of the face; and c) a computer or other computational equipment needed to run the software and provide a database or a link to a database. Because all three of these components are becoming increasingly powerful, cheaper, and smaller quickly, it is believed that facial recognition is no longer going to be primarily limited to governmental security functions but instead will find itself incorporated in a wide array of other government and non-government activities and in particular commercial applications.
It will be appreciated that many facial recognition systems operate by obtaining an image of the person's face to be identified, and then by quantifying the location of various anatomical points or nodal points (landmarks) of the face, including the location(s) of the eye(s) as well as parts of and around the eye(s). The dimensions, locations and/or ratios of these points typically make up a “faceprint”, which is then compared to a database of similar metrics (faceprints) to determine, where there is a match from the database, the identity of the face being scanned.
Thus, while the legitimate security functions of government and police agencies should not be circumvented, there are many individuals that would desire not to have their identity automatically and secretly determined in a non-security setting, such as inside a shopping mall. Fortunately, facial recognition technology is still not foolproof. Obviously, if one wears a mask over one's face, covers one's face with one's hand, or wears a fake nose and glasses, the recognition systems can be easily disrupted or potentially defeated. However, most people would not desire to walk around with a sock cap or the like pulled down over their face or with their hand or a magazine held up in front of their face for this obvious purpose, and in doing so would likely be recognized as doing so for the purpose of facial recognition system disruption.
Large dark sunglasses can also be worn in an attempt to disrupt a facial recognition system. However, the problem with large dark sunglasses is that they can be seen by others, and can be seen as an attempt to hide identity in locations such as a shopping mall where dark glasses are not typically used. Furthermore, dark sunglasses tend to reduce light levels, and therefore reduce vision under lower light conditions such as at night or indoors.
Thus, it would be useful to have a method or device which would not be obvious to passersby or a facial recognition system as a facial recognition stymier or an attempt to defeat a facial recognition system, but which would alter ones appearance or facial characteristics as one passes by a facial recognition system surreptitiously.